Next up in our New Face Friday series is Angela Sarafyan who plays Tia. She is a member of the Egyptian Coven in Breaking Dawn Part 2 along with Rami Malek, Omar Metwally, and Andrea Gabriel. In case you want a refresher on how Tia fits in, check out her character bio here. If you missed her coven mate Rami Malek interview last week, check it out here.

With Stephenie Meyer being on the set did you get a chance to talk with her and get any new insight about your character Tia?

I did. I did get a chance to talk to her. We actually spoke briefly about how she cam up with the character. And I don’t even know if it’s really coming up with but there’s just a little bit of a talk about how Benjamin and Tia came from poverty and kind of struggled until they met Amun and Kebi. It was interesting to hear her perspective on the character.

Was it nice having her there?

Ya, of course, it was kind of cool. It was like having a legend on set in a way. Because she wrote all those books and she came up with those stories. And then to actually meet the person that did that, that was kind of surreal. It was kind of surreal to be on that set in general.

How did you prepare for your role once you got cast? Had you read the series before hand?

No, I hadn’t read the series beforehand. Actually how I got ready initially was I saw the third film before my audition and was readying all your sites actually about everything twilight. Because I had a short time to get ready for the audition so basically it all started from you guys. There is so much information that you put out there. I felt fortunate to have all the sites available. After I heard I got the part, I had briefly read summaries of the books before the audition, then after that I read it. I read the full book and completely saw all the movies, and got a sense of the world I was coming into.

I was wondering if you could tell us what it was like seeing yourself in full out vampire gear the first time.

I didn’t know what it was going to look like. It was trippy. It was, I don’t look anything like that. I was really cool because I don’t look anything like my character in the movie at all. From my hair to my makeup, to the clothes that I wear, I don’t look anything like it. I even think I look, there’s this picture out now of all the vampires, and I don’t even think it looks like me. That picture, she looks Egyptian. It’s crazy that this transformation happened. It was cool to finally play a character that didn’t look anything like me.

I was wondering, since you are Egyptian do you use an accent or how you make your voice a little different?

Nothing was different. There’s a slight accent, but everything was just really subtle and real. Also with our looks we’re really different from the other vampires. Just so you know. We are all golden. We are not white. Being Egyptian, that is one of the things that stood out. We look really good. So there wasn’t anything too extreme about it. Which I liked. I think it kept it real. As real as a vampire is.

What was it like coming into such an established set? What was it like to feel like the new kid?

I think that I had that experience initially, but what’s interesting is that there was so many of us that we became the people that everyone else was gonna try to fit into. There were so many vampires and so many actors there. Initially it was… I am trying to think of the correct word because the very first scene that we shot was at the Casbah , and I remember just going on that set and seeing Elisabeth Reaser and their faces that I’d seen posters of and these faces that I’d seen in the films. I couldn’t digest it. I couldn’t look at it and go oh whatever, who cares, they are just actors, it was surreal. The whole thing was completely surreal. I remember I came on set the day before we were shooting, or two days before, and I saw Kristen sitting there, and I was like that’s the girl. There’s the face that I’ve been seeing and hearing everywhere. There’s that little head. It was interesting to finally see them in the flesh. It was not as intimidating as you think. Just a very crazy thing to see these things for real.

When you came into this, who were you most excited to work with?

I was looking forward to meeting Rami because he was going to play my man. I know technically I should be excited to meet Kristen and Rob and all those cats and I was happy to meet them, I really was, but I think that most excited about it was meeting Rami because we were going to be mates, as vampires can be. We were mates. I didn’t know who he was and it was a lovely surprise. It was just a great surprise. I think when you see the film, you will think that we are a couple, which is cool. We really found what was special between us.

Whose idea was the photo pose for the EW Comic Con photo booth?

It just happened. Nobody had an idea. I went and I stood there and we didn’t know what to do. It just happened.

It was really good.

Thanks, I love that picture too.

What was the most challenging part of playing this role?

I don’t think it was challenging actually. I didn’t find it to be very challenging. I kinda just took everything from one moment to the next. I don’t know, I would think that the right answer was that it wasn’t really challenging, it was fun. It was interesting and fun to approach based on the world that was being created. If that makes any sense. Because I didn’t know really what I was walking into, so everything was kind of created in the moment. I had ideas, but those ideas can be thrown out the window once you walk on a set, and you see what’s really going on. So then you create in the moment, which makes it more exciting. It wasn’t a challenge, so it was more fun than difficult in any way working on this part. Creating real relationships and building the characters from there. I guess, ultimately. And there were pleasant surprises along the way. There are pleasant surprises because you don’t know who you are going to meet. So when you have connections with other actors, like Kristen and I and Rob and Rami and Omar and a lot of us had real connections. People had real chemistry. It was surprising that those things happened and I was happy for them. And you create friends as well.

How different is the experience of shooting a big, Hollywood movie like “Twilight” as opposed to a smaller film like “American Animal?” I imagine they must be two ends of the spectrum.
It’s funny you say that because it was quite the opposite from what I expected. It’s a very big, big film and you’d think it would be filled with pressure and … it’s not at all like that. It’s very intimate. Easy to do, somehow. The people I work with are so helpful, kind and welcoming. It’s been fun to go to work with those kind of people, especially under very extraordinary circumstances.

It doesn’t feel as big as you’d think, which has been good for me as an actor. I get to play around and create things and have fun in the moment. We’re only one part of it as actors, because the special effects and visual effects all come in [after] … It’ll be a huge surprise at the end, [laughs] I don’t know what it will look like!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2’s rising actress Angela Sarafyan graces the Spring 2012 issue of “Runway,” the international fashion and celebrity review magazine. Angela’s issue is hitting newsstands nationwide on April 24, 2012. In an in-depth interview Angela covers her favorite designers, creative process and much more.

On Thursday April 19th, Runway will be hosting an the a major fashion industry and issue release event featuring FORD models for a sneak peak at this years hottest swim suit designers. The Event will take place at The Mint in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona host by Angela and special guest who will be flying in from Hollywood to support Runway.

On a crisp March morning, the crew arrived early at Beachwood Studios in the heart of the bustling Hollywood, California to shoot the cover of Runway. The star of the shoot, Angela walks in shortly after everyone else, dressed comfortably in vintage apparel and ready to work. Angela sits down for an interview with the fashion director before the shoot begins and has the entire team in stitches with her subtle-yet-quirky humor and comical tone that reminds everyone that they’re there to have fun as well as accomplish a common goal.

Working with famed-photographer Gary Lyons Angela never complained once posing almost effortlessly and playing to the camera. It was an effortless transformation from natural beauty to dynamic ingenue, and in a short time, Angela’s posing matched the vibe of the concept and clothing to a tee. The shoot theme intended to revolve round Angela’s newest flick Twilight 2 where she plays an Egyptian vampire aiding in the Cullen’s crisis.

In an exclusive interview with Runway, Angela explained the audition process and her role as Tia in Twilight. Angela goes on to share her favorite designers, fitness secrets, and much more in the interview.

The Video below is on Runway’s website. Click the image to be sent to their site

Angela Sarafyan is in this month’s Yerevan Magazine, a magazine that focuses on those of Armenian heritage. Angela was born in Armenia. She talks about her rising career from State Farm commercial to the big screen.

“I really liked the main cast,” says Angela. “Kristen (Stewart), Rob (Pattinson) and Taylor (Lautner) were really nice people. We got along great, so it made the experience so much better.” As for playing a vampire, that was one of Angela’s favorite parts of the entire experience.

“It was really cool. I had these insane contacts. I love adventure movies, so to play something outside of being human was kind of crazy. That’s why I wanted to be an actor,” explains Angela. Her portrayal of Tia was a result of hours of research. She learned about the character not only by reading the books, but also by reading facts about the character posted by fans on the internet. Angela loves the Twilight fanatics, known as “Twi-hards,” because they truly give their all to the film and the characters. “I didn’t have that much time to get ready for it. I tried to get as much information from the internet as possible,” says Angela. “You know what’s awesome about these fans? They’re great at learning everything about these characters. So they helped me learn about Tia. I was pulling everything that I could.”

Shockya has an interview with Angela Sarafyan who plays Tia in Breaking Dawn.

ShockYa: So I’m not going to start this interview probably where you expect. Instead, I’m going to ask you how many people approach you and ask you about State Farm insurance?

Angela Sarafyan: Oh, a lot. (laughs)

ShockYa: A lot? Or do you just get mostly quizzical looks from people who can’t quite place you?

AS: Well, my hair used to be darker, so I would get, “Are you the State Farm girl?” The [last time it happened] was in El Paso. I was working on a movie there, and some of these girls walked in and asked me. It was interesting to see how people responded to that commercial.

ShockYa: It seemed to be one of those that hung around for a while, and really caught on. And so do you have State Farm insurance?

AS: I don’t. (mock cringes) But the agent in that is really a State Farm agent, and was a really nice man. They pulled him from Miami or Florida or somewhere.